Busy Happens

I have been fortunate enough to have a lot on my plate the last few months. At least that's how I'm trying to look at my busy schedule. In early January the Connect With Smith Rock event in Boise was a great success, and later that month my boyfriend and I successfully delivered the painting to Redpoint in Terrebonne. 

I figured out what size I was going to make my limited edition prints, remembered how matting works after a few attempts, and finally got my first giclee print framed and mailed! Totally felt accomplished after that was out of my hands. 

It seems like my list of things I would like to get done is never ending, and I struggle with that. My character is not one that likes to leave projects undone or in progress for very long. I stress about deadlines, and worry about how my timeline is effecting others. I need to just relax because I know the stress doesn't help, and maybe by putting it into words I will be a little better about it in the future... Fingers crossed.

For tonight, I'm going to allow myself an extra glass of wine and watch climbing videos. 

In the studio

Mid September I installed a new floor in my studio and built a badass table that will fit my needs as an artist working with large boards. It's so exciting to have a space! A space where the sole purpose is to create and play!  

Last weekend there was an Open Studio Tour around town where other artists opened up their homes and shared their creative spaces. It was so fun to be able to wander through these very personal spaces and see how different artists work. There was the practical side of me that was excited to see how different artists organized their space, and stored their work and materials. And then there was the kid in me that was excited to see all the collections, knick-knacks and colorful mess that was prevalent in most studios. Each artist's character and process was reflected in their studio and I left each one with a different slice of inspiration.   

It will be fun in the coming months to continue to mold my space, adapt it to fit projects, personalize it, and just work in it more! I'm especially excited to have a wall designated for inspiration, reminders of things I want to do, goals, deadlines. I think in a very visual-exploding-map sort of way so I'm  looking forward to having a space to collect all of those thoughts. And who knows maybe in a year or two I'll be able to open studio too.  

 

A different kind of adventure!

So... I bought a house!

This is a very different sort of adventure for someone who identifies quite strongly with her independence and wanderlust tendencies. A year ago I would have never thought this day would come, but here it is. I am a homeowner and I'll admit it's a bit scary, but I've had a perspective shift. While the spontaneous traveler in me dreads the idea of having anything "permanent" the rational side of me recognizes a house as an investment and a home-base I can personalize the shit out of! I can paint, design, and construct as I see fit.

The fact that I have a nice long garage to put an epic wall/training facility in and a room for a studio is a huge bonus as well.  

Change makes most people a bit anxious, especially drastic perspective shifts. I think I have convinced my travel bug that it's okay to have a storage unit in the form of a house though... We'll see how she feels in a few months though?!